Shop

Japan

Toyota is making more money than ever and is potentially on track to have the most profitable fiscal year in the company's history. Much of that success is due to the weak yen compared to other currencies.

Not only is this a realistic small-scale Batmobile replica, complete with working lights, an opening canopy and a little Bat Signal emitted from the rear jet turbine, it also appears to provide at least a modicum of protection to your brand-new iPhone 6.

The government in Tokyo, Japan, is embarking on an aggressive plan to put 6,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and have 35 hydrogen refueling station in the city in time for the Olympic games there in 2020. It's working with Toyota and Honda to hopefully make the goal a reality.

With the punishing set of responsibilities that come with command of three automakers, 60-year-old Carlos Ghosn is arguably the hardest working man in the auto industry. While his capabilities can hardly be doubted, it's quite clear that he can't do this job forever. And that's probably going to be bad news for the Renault-Nissan Alliance he so successfully helms.

We know that the special- and limited-edition Lancer Evo X coming next June to end the model's life will be a five-speed GSR model with more horsepower, a tweaked suspension and some additional fancy "bits and pieces." We didn't expect this, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Final Concept with an ECU tune and new HKS turbo making its 2.0-liter engine good for 473 horsepower. That's 183 more ponies than the stock model.

Subaru had plans to build the Crosstrek here in the US, but Reuters reports that the company has changed its mind and will build the little crossover Scooby in Japan, in the same Gunma Prefecture factory where the Impreza, BRZ and Levorg are built.

With tens of millions of vehicles recalled, Takata has made several changes at its head office, including the resignation of its president, the promotion of its chairman and the appointment of several former US cabinet secretaries.

The Tesla Model S might be the headline-grabber of the electric vehicle world, but the Nissan Leaf is the segment's secret star. With over 130,000 sold worldwide since its introduction and record US sales in 2014, the little hatchback has helped its parents at the Renault-Nissan Alliance to sell over 200,000 EVs since 2010.

Honda may not compete with the likes of the expanding Fiat 500 and contracting Mini families in the North American or European markets, but back home in Japan it has a whole series of retro hatchbacks, grouped together as part of its N series. And now there is one more.

The Takata airbag recall is about to get a lot bigger, as the Japanese supplier is reportedly preparing to comply with an order by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to expand its region-specific recall to a nationwide campaign. According to Reuters, that will add millions of airbags to the disturbingly large supply of faulty units the company has already recalled.

Production Starts In December At Same Secret Workshop That Made Lexus LFA

Toyota built 500 Lexus LFA supercars between 2010 and 2012 in what Automotive News has called a "secretive workshop." The automaker has been wondering what to do with that production line since the last LFA rolled off in December 2012 and, like so much else for Toyota these days, the answer is a hydrogen car – and in about the same small numbers.

Subaru Tecnica International, better known by its initials, STI, has finally unveiled its work at tuning the Forester into a higher performance machine. Unfortunately while tweaks to the suspension and styling are plentiful, it's not clear how much acceleration is going to improve from just a few minor upgrades to the powertrain.